This chapter explores how reforms in the recruitment of self-governing lawyer councils between 1989 and 2017 expanded access to the legal profession and improved the availability of legal services through a 15-year process of social and legal change.
Archive
Hendley (2017), Everyday Law in Russia
Hendley argues that despite political interference in high-profile cases, ordinary Russians do engage with the legal system in everyday disputes, revealing a more nuanced and pragmatic relationship with the law than commonly assumed.
Smith (1978), The Soviet Procuracy and the Supervision of Administration
Monograph analyzing the evolution and role of prosecutors in the Soviet Union.
Kucherov (1953), Courts, Lawyers and Trials under the Last Three Tsars
A historical look at the 19th-century Russian legal profession, highlighting anarchist trials and how lawyers used jury nullification to win acquittals.
Litvinov (1972),The Trial of the Four
Memoir authored by one of the defendants in the trial of the group who protested in Red Square the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Army.
US judge arrested after allegedly obstructing immigration agents
On April 25, 2025, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by federal agents and charged with obstruction and concealing an individual to avoid arrest. The charges stem from an incident in her courtroom …
Gessen (2014), Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot
A journalistic account of Pussy Riot’s arrest and trial, arguing that their lawyers prioritized self-promotion over defending their clients.
Associate Resigns from Willkie Farr Over Trump Deal
In a powerful act of protest, Willkie Farr associate Andrew Silberstein publicly resigned after the firm agreed to a deal with the Trump administration that many viewed as capitulating to political pressure. In his striking …
Law firm partners back Susman Godfrey in lawsuit over Trump executive order
More than 700 U.S. law firm partners have filed a court brief supporting Susman Godfrey’s lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order, which targets law firms representing clients opposed to his administration. The executive order …
Two major law firms urge judges to permanently block Trump’s executive orders
Two major U.S. law firms, Perkins Coie and WilmerHale, asked federal judges to permanently block executive orders issued by President Trump that they argue retaliate against them for past legal work opposing Trump and his …